What I miss about my FZ1...

[Dustin]

(Gen 1)

Now that I've put over 1000 miles behind me on my SV650, I sat down and had a think about my FZ1 & whether I am happy with having sold it.

Certainly, the first thing I noticed was the quality of the SV--it's definitely a more budget bike aimed at beginners, and you can feel it almost immediately. The FZ1 is a quality bike with a great fit & finish and a solid feel.

Then there's the suspension. Granted, my FZ1 had freshly serviced forks, rebuilt shock and RaceTech springs; but there is a huge difference in performance, quality & refinement between the two bikes. The SV650 does handle well (as far as I can tell during winter time) but it feels cheap, soft & wobbly. I've got it nearly maxed out on preload in stock form and it doesn't ride well at all. Now, for a fair comparison, I would need to service the shock & forks and put some springs in it--which I will do later.

The engine. The power difference is definitely noticeable. Hell, I have half as much power (on paper). Coming from an FZ1, I don't really see where this 'amazing torque' is that everyone claims the SV650 has. However, it is a nice motor with a great exhaust note (Especially with the Yosh pipe that came with mine), much more personality and character than the the FZ1. I think the extra power I'm missing is not at all usable for me anyway (for 90% of my riding), so it's a reasonable sacrifice. Oh yeah, fuel injection baby!

The economy. While maybe I'm saving money on insurance, the fuel economy is worse?! What the hell? I've done all pertinent maintenance and what-not and the bike should be getting better mileage than this. I won't rule out winter fuel & wait until spring comes where I can hit the highway to get a grasp on trip mileage but at the moment I'm pretty unhappy about it. The worst part is, I no longer have a 21L tank so my range has really suffered.

Gauges & headlights. Oh my god, the plastic piece of trash Suzuki put with the naked SV is terrible. It looks nice but that's about it; it's absolutely terrible at doing what it was supposed to do. Compared to the dual H4s on the FZ1, it's embarassing. I hate it. On the plus side, the digital speedo & display is nice along with the analog tach. The thing is, the Gen 1 has a very classy setup with a fuel gauge & light, analog tach & speedo and it looks quite good along with the digital display for time & mileage--I think I prefer the FZ's display.

Looks. No contest there. The SV650 is definitely a sexy bike.

Personally, the Gen 1 looks like a butt to me, so there's a positive.

Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts with you guys. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the FZ..

 

[CrazyBiker]

Gen2 has the handling, looks and the instrumentation covered and topped on the SV for you .

 

[Dustin]

I would be very surprised if there wasn't a Gen 2 in my future. Seriously.

7 bikes in 3 years, who knows what's next for me

 

[Norm]

That's a nice review Dustin. It's no secret I'm a big fan of the FZ1. I had to move right on past it to realize what I had in my hands. My C14 is a luxurious bike, and as Eric knows after putting about 800 miles on it himself, there's probably not much more you can pack into that bike for the ultimate combination of touring AND sport riding. That notwithstanding, the C14 still cannot topple the FZ1's claim as "The Ultimate Street brawler." Few bikes can I believe.

Still I am much like you I think in that we love bikes so much we like to keep trying different ones. That in itself helps us appreciate the particular strengths of each model. That SV is a beautiful looking bike. Glad you are still with us.

 

[Lonerider59]

I traded my 08 FZ1 for a 10 Triumph Speedmaster last April. I've been checking the dealer's website almost since the day of the trade. He still has it in stock. Although I really can't complain about the Speedmaster, as the old saying goes, "it aint no FZ1". I'm trading back for the FZ1 on 3/10 even up. The dealer says he can't sell sport bikes so he'll take the Speedmaster back and be happy and I'll be tickled to death. Sometimes you get an urge to do a deal only later to realize it wasn't meant to be. In my case, I really lucked out and will be able to get the FZ1 back without loosing my shorts. I doubt many guys get this type of a chance. I'm thankful for the good fortune. I will say though that I had an 07 V-Strom that I traded for my FZ1 and I thought it was an amazing bike for a 650. It's probably one bike that I regret getting rid of. I thought that for a 650 L-twin, it had more balls than more 650's that I owned before and I've had several. I'll admit that I've owned too many motorcycles, mainly because I was never satisfied with what I had, but the FZ1 is probably the best bike for what it can do, "jack of all trades", master of none, but very close, close enough for a 60 year old fart like me.

 

[Osgyth]

I traded my 08 FZ1 for a 10 Triumph Speedmaster last April. I've been checking the dealer's website almost since the day of the trade. He still has it in stock. Although I really can't complain about the Speedmaster, as the old saying goes, "it aint no FZ1". I'm trading back for the FZ1 on 3/10 even up. The dealer says he can't sell sport bikes so he'll take the Speedmaster back and be happy and I'll be tickled to death. Sometimes you get an urge to do a deal only later to realize it wasn't meant to be. In my case, I really lucked out and will be able to get the FZ1 back without loosing my shorts. I doubt many guys get this type of a chance. I'm thankful for the good fortune. I will say though that I had an 07 V-Strom that I traded for my FZ1 and I thought it was an amazing bike for a 650. It's probably one bike that I regret getting rid of. I thought that for a 650 L-twin, it had more balls than more 650's that I owned before and I've had several. I'll admit that I've owned too many motorcycles, mainly because I was never satisfied with what I had, but the FZ1 is probably the best bike for what it can do, "jack of all trades", master of none, but very close, close enough for a 60 year old fart like me.

All you you that have have switched bikes and shared your experiences have me worried; worried that with the FZ1 as my first bike I'm never going to find another I love as much! Guess I'm keeping this thing forever!

 

[Norm]

All you you that have have switched bikes and shared your experiences have me worried; worried that with the FZ1 as my first bike I'm never going to find another I love as much! Guess I'm keeping this thing forever!

Nope, you're way ahead of the game. Just don't get rid of that FZ1. I just got back from a 320 mile round trip to the Florida west coast and back on the C14; mostly straight roads and high speed travel. The C14 was perfect for that trip but tomorrow I look forward to riding the FZ1 every which way but loose...I hope. As Eric said, the C14 is like a semi next to the FZ1.

 

[romr]

we'll gladly welcome you back to the fold.

I would be very surprised if there wasn't a Gen 2 in my future. Seriously.

7 bikes in 3 years, who knows what's next for me

 

[Jeffibus]

My SV got between 33-45 mpg... but it didn't take much to toss it to the 33 range. I always rode it like I was trying to kill it, so good mileage was never in my forecast.


On a side by side straight line ride, between gen2 FZ1 and my gen2 SV from LA to Arizona, at every gas stop I took on more fuel than he did. But, I'm bigger and lacked wind protection.

Small guys with a top fairing get decent mileage though. One tiny friend of mine would push near 60mpg on a regular basis.

 

[KutWrite]

Know what you Mean!

I will say though that I had an 07 V-Strom that I traded for my FZ1 and I thought it was an amazing bike for a 650... I'll admit that I've owned too many motorcycles, mainly because I was never satisfied with what I had, but the FZ1 is probably the best bike for what it can do...

Yeah; I'm 63 and have had well over 35 bikes in my life.

I, too sold a DL-650 to get the FZ1. Mainly I didn't like the looks, though my silver one wasn't that bad. That style bike seems klunky.

Having said that, I've seen and liked the '11 all-black DL. I thought I'd be floored by the white one, but they ruined it by keeping the front and fender white. Probably to save $$.

Gas milage and tank distance is the most disappointing about the FZ. Performance though, esp. 2-up is all I'd want.

I'm putting off getting a Yosh pipe, etc. to see if I keep the FZ1 or go back to a DL - a black one of course! It wasn't as fast as the FZ, but still plenty fast, and good on the freeways. A bonus: Many zombified Calif freeway drivers still pull out of the way of the DL. They probably think it's a cop cycle, esp. when I use the 4-way flashers in stopped traffic!